The Republicans may have lost the White House, but it doesn’t mean their party is battered and bruised. With a conservative majority on the supreme court, and potentially retaining the Senate, the Republicans are in a good place to keep president-elect Joe Biden in check over the next four years. But what does a Republican Party look like without Donald Trump? Nicholas Lemann, a staff writer at The New Yorker, joins Dave to talk about what the mentality is behind Trump’s challenge of the results...
Nov 12, 2020•20 min
As a candidate for U.S. president, Joe Biden talked about wanting to get the country off its dependency on oil. But how things will actually play out under President Biden — and what this means for Canada’s energy sector — is still up in the air. Will that stance mean less U.S. oil production, which means an opportunity for Canadian companies? Could Alberta’s oil be hit with a cross-border carbon tax? And where does a green new deal fit in? Geoffrey Morgan, who covers energy and power for The Fi...
Nov 11, 2020•22 min
The Canadian Forces is looking to set up a new propaganda arm to try to influence the behaviour of people in this country. The proposal, revealed in documents uncovered by Postmedia, are an extension of a plan from the Chief of Defence Staff to ‘weaponize’ the military’s public affairs branch Dave is joined by Ottawa Citizen military affairs reporter David Pugliese, who uncovered the story, to walk through what this organization would do, why they’re trying to influence Canadians’ behaviour, and...
Nov 05, 2020•14 min
It has been 11 years since an Ottawa teen vanished without a trace. Initially thought to be a runaway, there appears to be no indication of what happened to Justin Rutter. Dave Breakenridge is joined by Ottawa Citizen reporter Taylor Blewett about the circumstances around Rutter’s disappearance, why his family has concerns about the investigation, and whether his mother feels she’ll ever get closure. Background reading: 'What happened to Justin Rutter?': The Ottawa teen vanished 11 years ago. Hi...
Nov 03, 2020•16 min
B.C. Premier John Horgan shocked many, including his governing partners in the Green Party, when he called a snap election last month. And while many felt voters would punish Horgan and the NDP for heading to the polls during a pandemic, breaking an agreement with the Greens in the process, the NDP now has a majority government. Dave is joined by Vancouver Sun legislative columnist Rob Shaw to talk about the motivation behind calling an election, why the NDP didn’t take a hit politically, and wh...
Oct 29, 2020•23 min
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals survived a confidence vote over a Conservative push to dig deeper into the WE Charity affair. Canadians may be spared a fall election, but the political games are far from over. Dave is joined by National Post political reporter Chris Nardi to discuss why the Liberals seemed keen to push us close to a pandemic election, why this move poses a problem for the NDP, and whether this hampers the Conservative efforts to hold the government to account. Learn more about your ad...
Oct 27, 2020•18 min
The 1984 death of Christine Jessop and wrongful conviction of Guy Paul Morin rocked the country. In a surprise announcement this month, police announced they had identified Christine’s Killer. Dave is joined by Toronto Sun columnist Joe Warmington by phone to talk about the historic case, who it’s believed the killer is, and how police solved this mystery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 21, 2020•23 min
The story of Barry and Honey Sherman, whose murder nearly three years ago remains unsolved, has taken another twist. The fight over the couple’s estate files has hit the Supreme Court this week. National Post crime reporter Adrian Humphreys joins Dave to talk about how an inheritance proceeding wound up at Canada's highest court, why the family is fighting to have these records kept private and what the legal implications of this case could be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...
Oct 15, 2020•14 min
The viral video showing a dying Indigenous woman screaming while she is subjected to verbal abuse by staff at a Quebec hospital has reignited the debate over racism in the health-care system. The recording, made by Joyce Echaquan herself from her hospital bed, has led to the firing of two hospital staff members, and has sparked a coroner’s investigation. But there are many saying that this is a deeper problem than one woman’s death. Dave is joined by Nazila Bettache, an internist and assistant p...
Oct 14, 2020•19 min
Already battered by a price roller-coaster in 2020, big players in Canada’s oilpatch have announced plans for cost-cutting or layoffs. Oilsands giant Suncor was the latest to announce changes, with a planned 10-15 per cent cut to its workforce. Dave is joined by Calgary Herald business columnist Chris Varcoe to discuss what’s driving these moves, how deep the industry’s problems go, and what it means for Alberta’s economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 07, 2020•15 min
One of the hardest hit provinces in COVID-19’s first wave, Quebec’s rising case numbers suggest it is into a second wave of the pandemic. The spike in cases in September has meant that premier Francois Legault has had to announce stricter lockdown restrictions in some areas. Dave is joined by Montreal Gazette Assistant City Editor Monique Beaudin to discuss where the spike in cases is coming from, who is affected by the new lockdown, and what measures are being taken. Learn more about your ad ch...
Oct 01, 2020•15 min
After proroguing parliament in August, the Liberals delivered just their second throne speech since being elected in 2015. And with the support of Jagmeet Singh and the NDP, the Justin Trudeau’s team avoids having to fight an election battle a year into their second mandate. I’m Dave Breakenridge and this is 10/3. I’m joined by Parliamentary bureau chief and National post columnist John Ivison to discuss whether the throne speech was the big agenda reset Trudeau suggested it would be, and why th...
Sep 29, 2020•15 min
For more than 200 years, science has had a sure-fire way of dealing with many deadly, debilitating viruses. The vaccine. And as we move through theCOVID-19 pandemic, a vaccine is what we’re hinging our hopes on if we want to get back to normal. Dave is joined by National post health reporter Sharon Kirkey to discuss how important a vaccine is to beating the pandemic, how officials could decide who receives it first, and what concerns people may have about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
Sep 25, 2020•19 min
Since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down many sectors in our economy, the federal government has been doling out cash to Canadians. The CERB, or Canadian Emergency Response Benefit, was meant to help people through a very unexpected bumpy ride. But the CERB has sparked renewed discussions about a universal basic income in Canada. Dave Breakenridge is joined by national post political reporter Stuart Thomson about what a basic income would look like, who is pushing this idea, and what some of the po...
Sep 22, 2020•19 min
A dark chapter in B.C. criminal history has come to a close. Jamie Bacon, the last person convicted in the Surrey Six massacre, has been sentenced to an additional five years on top of time served, for his role in the slayings. Vancouver Sun Crime reporter Kim Bolan joins Dave to look back at the Surrey six killings, discuss what Bacon ultimately pleaded guilty to, and why the case was so complicated in getting to sentencing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 15, 2020•16 min
When it comes to gun crime in Canada, one question that often gets asked is “where are these guns coming from?” Some of them are ill-gotten Canadian firearms, but many of them are smuggled across the border from the United States, where guns are plentiful. But just how do they get here? Dave is joined by National Post reporter Adrian Humphreys to talk about recent case in the U.S. that breaks down the journey from an Ohio gun show to the streets of Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...
Sep 10, 2020•13 min
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were still learning about the virus, Canadians looked to the top doctors for advice. In B.C. and Alberta, people were comforted by the calm demeanours of Doctors Bonnie Henry and Deena Hinshaw. But, as provinces have rolled out back-to-school plans, that comfort has started to fade, with much of the criticism being directed at the health officials. Dave Breakenridge is joined by the National Post’s Tyler Dawson about where the criticism has come from, why ...
Sep 04, 2020•19 min
Floating amid the 2020 U.S. presidential election campaign, is a conspiracy theory that Donald Trump is the only one who can stop a cabal of Satanists who are molesting and trafficking in children. While unique in its details, QAnon shares DNA with childhood allegations of ritual sexual abuse unearthed in a 1980 book by a Victoria woman and her psychiatrist. Dave is joined by freelance writer Jen Gerson about what led to the Satanic Panic conspiracy, why it spread so easily, and what we’ve learn...
Sep 02, 2020•24 min
After a very lengthy wait Sunday night, Erin O’Toole was crowned leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He now faces the dual challenge of acquainting himself with voters, while preparing for the possibility of facing Justin Trudeau in a general election… because who knows what can happen with a minority parliament, right? Dave is joined by National Post columnist and Ottawa bureau chief John Ivison about what are the next step for O’Toole after winning the leadership, how he balances the m...
Aug 27, 2020•17 min
For the first time in 101 years, there will not be a Grey Cup winner. And for the first time in 102 years, there won’t even be a CFL season. The Canadian Football League cancelled plans for shortened play in a hub city, after failing to get a loan from the feds. Dave is joined by Postmedia national sports columnist Dan Barnes to discuss why the feds turned down the league, whether we’ll see a 2021 season, and what this says about the health of the league and football in Canada. Learn more about ...
Aug 25, 2020•18 min
After a months-long campaign hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conservative Party of Canada will soon have a new leader. The deadline for ballots is just days away, and it’s anticipated Andrew Scheer’s successor will be crowned on August 23. Just who that will be is very much up in the air. The National Post’s Brian Platt joins Dave to talk about why Peter MacKay’s front-runner status isn’t a lock, why Erin O’Toole could be vulnerable, and how Leslyn Lewis and Derek Sloan could play spoiler...
Aug 20, 2020•18 min
Fault lines in the Liberal government were laid bare Monday with the resignation of finance minister Bill Morneau. Morneau had served as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s only finance minister since the Liberal government was elected, but he has opted to step down as MP less than a year into the government’s second term. Dave is joined by the National Post's Chris Nardi to talk about the friction between Morneau and the PM that likely led to his departure, what this could mean for the direction of...
Aug 18, 2020•23 min
This episode is part of Postmedia’s reopening Canada series. Getting kids back to school is seen by many as one of the keys to getting Canadians back to work in the wake of COVID-19. But, as the first day of school looms, many are worried that the first math lesson of the year focused on counting new infections. Dave is joined by National Post health reporter Sharon Kirkey to talk about what we’ve learned so far when it comes to kids and coronavirus, how effective they are at spreading the virus...
Aug 13, 2020•18 min
The reduced sentence for an Edmonton man convicted of five sexual assaults has once again raised concerns about how Canada’s justice system handles cases of sexual violence. Matthew McKnight’s crimes warranted 16 years, the judge said, but ultimately he was handed a sentence of half that amount. Dave is joined by advocate Kristin Raworth, herself a survivor of sexual violence, to discuss why the sentence is concerning and how the justice system is failing victims. Learn more about your ad choice...
Aug 10, 2020•19 min
What started as a controversy about ties between the prime minister’s family and a prominent Canadian charity, and a 900 million dollar government contract has turned into an ethics investigation involving Justin Trudeau and one of his senior ministers, as well as more scrutiny on the operations of WE charity. The brewing scandal came to a head last week in key testimony before a parliamentary committee. National Post political reporter Chris Nardi joins Dave to talk about what we learned from t...
Aug 05, 2020•30 min
Canada’s oil and gas sector took a major hit as COVID-19 shut down travel and a price war cratered the cost of a barrel. But as our economy starts to grow again, things are a little more sluggish in the oilpatch. Dave talks with Calgary Herald business columnist Chris Varcoe about how the industry has rebounded, what the pandemic has done to the bottom lines of some big players, and what the outlook is for the future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 28, 2020•16 min
This is the time of summer when parents are thinking about back to school. New clothes for the kids. New school supplies. Watching their children grow. But COVID-19 has added a new dimension to the back to school discussion: how to do so safely, while we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. While some provinces are still working out plans or waiting on school boards to submit theirs, Alberta laid out its guidelines this week. Dave is joined by Edmonton Journal legislature reporter Ashley Joanno...
Jul 22, 2020•15 min
This episode is part of Postmedia’s Reopening Canada series, a look at how the country’s economy is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite diving into a deep recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s economy is reopening, and showing signs of growth. Experts say while the recession was as deep as anyone can remember, it is relatively short-lived. But how long Canada will take to recover is still an open question. Dave is joined by Financial Post columnist Kevin Carmichael. ...
Jul 16, 2020•18 min
What seemed like a noble program in the middle of a pandemic — a grant that would pay students for volunteer hours — has turned into a political nightmare for the prime minister. The Justin Trudeau government’s $900-million Canada Student Service Grant program was awarded to WE Charity, an organization with ties to the PM and his family members. Amid controversy, WE has pulled out of the project, but it has continued to dog Justin Trudeau. Dave is joined by National Post political reporter Chris...
Jul 09, 2020•25 min
Among those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic was the air travel industry, as restrictions on movement and social distancing rules meant no one was flying. Now the economy is starting to re-open, airlines and airports are facing a struggle to coax passengers to return to the skies. Dave is joined by Financial Post reporter and Down to Business podcast host Gabe Friedman. This episode is part of Postmedia’s Reopening Canada series, a look at how the country’s economy is recovering as the COVID...
Jul 05, 2020•18 min
